In the packaging of hay and other crops, it is important that the operator have at his disposal means for accurately checking the nature and quality of the hay packages being produced by the baler. For example, it is particularly important that hay not be packaged into dense, compacted bales at a time when the moisture content of the hay is excessively high, or else the excessive moisture will give rise to a chemical reaction internally of the hay packages which will result in the generation of heat and the ultimate consumption of the bale by fire, Yet, when the baling delicate crops like alfalfa wherein much of the nutrients are contained in the brittle leaves of the plant, it is the common practice to bale during evening and night time hours when the presence of dew on the plants helps prevent leaf loss caused by handling of the plants by the various moving components and mechanisms of the baler. Furthermore, and particularly where the farmer is relying upon the hay as a cash crop which is shipped in bales to various markets around the country, it is desirable for the farmer to monitor the payload represented by the bales produced in his machine so that he can take whatever steps may be appropriate in the harvesting procedure to optimize the nature and quality of the bales.
While the concept of weighing bales as they issue from a crop baler is not broadly new, it is believed that the art has heretofore lacked a way of automatically checking the bale weight and displaying the result to the operator in the cab of the towing tractor while the baler continues to move across the field carrying out its baling function.